Friday, September 30, 2016

Sunday afternoon I finished The Witch and The Dead by Heather Blake. I have loved this series since book one and this the seventh book in the Wishcraft Mystery series did not disappoint. Have you ever experienced the sensation of being so completely engrossed in a story that when you are interrupted by someone that it takes you more then a minute to "come too"? I was interrupted during the last few chapters and I honestly could not shake myself back to reality. This book was just too good, to all consuming and over far to soon....hanging on every word right to the last one, I put the book down in a total trance. I did not want my time in the Enchanted Village to be over so soon...291 pages of a incredible story that not only took me away but blew me away too! Great mysteries all twisted and intertwined in the way only Heather Blake could write. The perfect balance of witchcraft, romance, family and mystery. I can not say enough about this series or this latest book.
Out October 4th this was such a pleasure to have on my table and now in my heart. Even though I received this book in advance to review, I ordered a copy from The Book Depository many months ago, so it is a great privilege to have gotten this book early and now have a copy I can gift to my library.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Monday night I finished Kathi Daley's Count Catula, what a wonderful addition to the Whales and Tails Mystery series. I can always count on Kathi to produce a wonderful fun and perplexing mystery. Count Catula holds the readers attention for sure with a very good Halloween themed mystery with a macabre twist. I truly enjoy the on going and developing relationships that continue to evolve in this fun West Coast mystery series, with just a touch of magic this series is one of my favorites and one I can highly recommend.

Count Catula is out now and a fun read for the Halloween Season! Click here to find the Amazon listing. It is always a delight to have Kathi's books on my table. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do!
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

I am so excited to be on the Southern Mystery Blog Tour for A Charming Voodoo by the wonderful and talented Tonya Kappes. Tonya has kindly offered one of my lucky readers the chance to win a free audio book from the Magical Cures Mystery Series audio series picked by Tonya Kappes! The Question is at the bottom of today's post!

In addition to the audio book give away Tonya Kappes has a grand prize for theBIG prize (A KINDLE, Amazon Gift Card, along with A Ghostly Grave and A Ghostly Murder Kindle Novels)

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Last week I read Masking for Trouble by Diane Vallere, this is the second book in her A Costume Shop Mystery series and it was a very fun Halloween Read. I love the idea of a town that goes all out for Halloween, I think I could find myself quite welcome and comfortable there. Costume shop owners daughter/ general manager Margo has her hands full the week before Halloween when a large corporation threatens the daily life of not only her shop at her busiest time of year but also the way of life in Proper City! This was a very enjoyable read and perfect for this time of year! Masking for Trouble is out October 4th!

Monday, September 26, 2016

Labor day weekend I read Murder of a Cranky Catnapper by Denise Swanson. Today I am happy to tell you that you have a chance to win a copy of your own. If you live in the USA you are welcome to enter to win a copy for yourself. To enter to win simply email me at karenmowen@gmail.com with CATNAPPER in the subject line before September 30th and I will draw a winner at random from entries received.

It is easy to love main character Skye and her take charge attitude with a twist. Who doesn't love a strong character who is also insecure about her weight, marriage and work? In this the 19th book in the series Skye finds herself in a few very uncomfortable situations, giving into pregnancy cravings and as usual helping to save the day. I enjoyed the character of Skye's line of work and the way that Denise wrote the boys in her special group as well as the way Skye discusses education in this book. I truly appreciated the realism and the way that Denise wrote this mystery.
Now it is your chance to enter to win! Be sure to email me your USA mailing address along with CATNAPPER In the subject line for your chance to win your own copy!
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review and give away!
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Last Monday I read Tangled Up in A Brew by Jocye Tremel. This was a first for me in the series and I will be honest here, I picked it for the cover and thought "Brew" meant "coffee" and I may not have read it if I knew it was about beer! If I had read what the book was about and the series I may not have picked it up at all. What a happy accident it turned out to be. I am so glad I picked it and read it! While Beer is not my brew of choice, I was delighted with this book and the entire concept. The story revolves around a female brew master and her NHL retired chef boyfriend. Their back stories alone make for an excellent read! Then there was main character "Max's" amazing family. Father who is a police man, brother a priest, then there is a cat named hops.....the back story was fun! The mystery its self was very well done and I found myself very angry at the first victim in the book and not nearly as motivated to help solve the mystery as the main character, I would have been happy to sit back and eat burgers while Max solved the mystery...actually that is exactly what I did. LOL This is a different take on a cozy and I loved the idea, I like strong female characters who have really interesting jobs and this one was delightfully different.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

This week has been a busy one and I am afraid I have not has as much time to dedicate to reading as I should but I am absolutely delighted to have Heather Blake's The Witch and The Dead on my table this weekend. I have been a long time fan of this series and I still pre order it. I am thrilled that I got an advanced reading copy of this book! This is one of my most favorite cozy mystery series and I am thrilled to have it this rainy weekend.

Also on my table this week some fantastic walkers shortbread cookies brought to me from England, I may have eaten half the box while reading Masking for Trouble by Diane Vallere, this was a new to me series and a good mystery, review coming up next week.

I also new to my table this week Tangled Up in Brew by Joyce Tremel, fun idea, this series is!

Having Joyce and Jim Lavene's books on my table has long been a treat now it is an honor to have the third book in the retired witches series on my table. I miss my daily chats with Joyce... I find it truly amazing to be able to spend time reading their amazing work, feeling as though they have not really left us at all.

New to me tea on the table this week from For Tea's Sake's Shades of Earl Grey a nice classic earl grey that is not overly floral.

The winner of Dead To The Last Drop is Doward T. Wilson! Congratulations and thank you to all who took the time to enter! Doward your book is being sent to you from the publisher.

I am so thankful to have you join me today for a cup of tea and a cozy review! I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Friday, September 23, 2016

The third book in the A Retired Witches Mystery Series, Putting on the Witch, comes out October 4th. For those of you who may not know Joyce and Jim Lavene both passed away in the last 12 months and their passing has had a huge impact on the cozy community and on me personally. Joyce was a mentor of mine and a cheerleader. It was an honor to know her and it is a joy to read her words. Joyce and Jim were incredible in life, in writing and on line. Though I never got to meet them in person, getting to know them both over the last few years was truly inspiring and an honor. In addition to being amazing authors they raised amazing children, whom I am very pleased to have also gotten know on line and I continue to grow in friendship and loss.

Putting on the Witch, was a whirlwind of a book, I honestly found myself dizzy at times. Fun to picture the setting and the characters, the murder, the mystery and the chaos that Putting on the Witch offers readers. I could see vividly the scenes described as only Joyce and Jim could write. With out giving too much away I was thrilled to have some much loved characters return from the previous books in the most unlikely of situations. This book was filled with fun and very imaginative scenarios for the witches to find themselves in and trouble to get themselves out of. I wish that I had just a little of the magic these witches have in this book, even when they are bumbling they are truly the best!

There are so many wonderful books coming out in October and if you are a lover of Witch themed cozies be sure to order Putting on the Witch.
Learn more about all the series written by Joyce and Jim Lavene by clicking here.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Thursday, September 22, 2016

I love my library. The cozy section is well stocked and the librarians there are open to suggestions. They even make recommendations, with lists and special knowledge or our favorite genres. Thankfully they also know what I need years before I need it. Having just discovered E.J. Copperman's Haunted Guest House Mystery series I was so thrilled to find two books in the series on the shelf waiting for me on Wednesday last week. Old Haunts is the third book in the series and it has all the magic and so much more then the first. This book is superbly written, with great mysteries, turns and twists along with reveals I did not see coming. I am very pleased with how this mystery ended and how E.J.Copperman tied up the ending, leaving me longing and excited for the next one!

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Labor day long weekend I read Dead to the Last Drop by Cleo Coyle. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this mystery. This is the 15th book in the series and the first one I can say I truly enjoyed to the last drop. When I first saw the cover and the write up on the book I thought that this mystery would be like so many other "President's daughter gets kidnapped" story lines from books and movies, I am happy I was wrong and despite my fears I quickly found myself turning page after page and drinking it all in. I enjoyed Cleo Coyle's spin on this "President's daughter gets kidnapped" story and hope you will too! I am very excited to announce the give away for a copy of Dead to the Last Drop to one of my USA readers. From today September 21st to September 23 you have a chance to enter to win a copy of your own. Email me at karenmowen@gmail.com with COFFEE in the subject line to be entered into the random draw, chances of wining a copy are dependent on entries received. Good luck!

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Peg Cochran has a new series for you to enjoy with a very interesting way to tell the story and mystery that happens on her character Shelby McDonald's Love Blossom Farm. This story and mystery is read and experienced as if you were reading part of the mystery on line from Shelby's blog. I found I really enjoyed the blog aspect of the story as well as how widower and mother Shelby manages not only her farm but her cozy life in the aftermath of the death of her husband. This is an inspired cozy with a great concept and cover art.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Last Wednesday I read Tonya Kappes soon to be released 10th book in her Magical Cures Mystery series. I love this idealistic magical community, where you can find exactly what you need, want and require. Fun characters like the grumpy floating head of Madame Torres and a fairy god-cat along with magical and non magical characters this is a great series to read and grow with! Book 10 was like a delightful fall retreat! Strolling the familiar shops and a new pumpkin patch makes for a fun adventure for sure, Mystery surrounding a new comer along with a personal mystery for June that will tug at your heartstrings for sure! Did I mention you can get the news paper there on the wind?...

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Today I am sharing a review of a book I bought for my 8 year old son. The Secret Of The Skeleton Key by Penny Warner. This summer my son read all 19 of the Hardy Boy's Secret Files books and loved them. I was looking for something to keep his new found interest in mystery books up and saw on Penny Warner's Facebook page that she had book 6 of The Code Busters Club coming out soon, I inquired as to what reading level they were and were pleased to learn they were written at a level that would both challenge and intrigue my son.

Knowing Penny from her Cozy Mystery Adult series I was pleased to purchase book one and give it a try, Penny kindly sent my son her special Code Busters Club kit, which actually arrived before the book I purchased. He quickly got to work on his new handbook and we waited anxiously for the mail man to bring us book one The Secret Of The Skeleton Key.

Tuesday the 13th of September brought us the book we were waiting for and I snapped this photo of him reading after school. This book was so much fun from page one! You have to break codes to even find out what the chapters are called. We even spent the evening writing notes in code! From "dinner is ready" to "bath time" he devoured each code written note I sent him.

After reading chapter one I realized we were going to need book two sooner then I thought, so I even ordered that while he was reading the last page of chapter 1. I order from The Book Depository so that I don't pay shipping, and I realize that as soon as book two arrives I am going to have to order book 3 and so on and so on. These books are a great investment though and I can easily justify the price of these fun mysteries when I take into account that I am reading them and enjoying them as well!

I am so looking forward to book two arriving soon, it is called The Haunted Lighthouse and combines my love of mysteries and lighthouses and gives my son and I something to look forward to reading and solving together. I can not wait to share my review of that one with you as well.
I believe that boys and girls will both love this series as much as the parents. The website is a fantastic help as well. The story and mystery in The Secret Of The Skeleton Key surpassed my expectations and truly wowed me. This is a series to love kid or not!To learn more about The Code Busters Club books please click here.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Another week has gone by and this was such a fun one for my family and I. Last Saturday morning we left for a very quick and very far trip to the very West Coast of Vancouver Island for a Surf Camp Weekend for our boys put on by Rip Curl and SUPA (Surfs Up For Autism) and we had a blast. I got to read a bit on the trip and discover a lovely tea shop too! Thay Tea in Ucluete (You-Q-let) BC was a tea lovers oasis in a very picturesque location. Such a delight to visit them and I am looking forward to seeing them at the Vancouver tea festival in November.

I picked up a lovely Double Cream Earl Grey, which I am absolutely loving. It was a lovely weekend and a beautiful view with my morning tea. I finished Night of the Living Deed while in Ucluete and absolutely loved it, I can not wait to read the entire series.

Penny Warner's The Code Busters Club, A book I ordered for my 8 year old son arrived on Tuesday and even though he and I are reading it together, I could not help but finish reading the entire book that night. I will be sharing my review with you all tomorrow and I have already ordered book number 2.

I have also been enjoying the Miss Marple Complete Short Stories this week another book I received for Buy A Friend A Book Day! Such a great book to have on hand and in my purse for afternoon school pick up time!

Also on my table mid week A Charming Voodoo by Tonya Kappes, some mornings you just need a little magic!

Last night I finished Old Haunts by E.J. Copperman, a book I checked out of my wonderful library who stock the most wonderful cozies, after last weekends read I knew I wanted to read the entire series! Review to follow next week.

Friday morning a delivery at my door had me jumping for joy! I can not wait to share the October Releases with you all soon!
Thank you so much for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy week in review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com